Shout outs:

Rae Kelly: he he.. yeah, I'm alive, but just barely (I might add). Thanks for the review..

Bluehaq: Thanks.. he he

Raven: That saying - ("a word of love, a sentence of hope, and a letter to the sea for new beginning.") - is one that I just made up. He he.. you gotta admit that it is kinda cool. After all, sayings have to come from somewhere. Why not be the one to start them? Thanks for the reviews and the happy birthday... ::smiles::

Bam: A message in a bottle is *so* romantic. ::has a fluttery moment.. then sighs:: I know that the whole idea that she throws the bottle on one side of the river and it actually makes it to Spot is kind of doubtful, but it is possible... ha ha. I didn't really think about it much before I submitted it. The note is not very old - a few days at most. And *yes* Spot is leader of Brooklyn (he he!), but we still don't know what happened to the famed Red. Thanks for reviewing!

Kora: Ha ha... Hey! thanks so much... he he. I actually knew what all of that meant. It's great to know that I am retaining some of the stuff that I am learning in French I this year. The cake is *very* good. My mom bought it at our local bakery... it's vanilla cake with white icing and pink roses. Thanks for the review...

Olive: ::blushes:: I don't think so, but thanks anyways... Thanks for the review!

__

"You think its real?" Dandy questioned inventively.

Spot nodded. "Yeah, it's her handwriting."

"How old do you think it is?"

"A couple of days, a week at most," Blink nodded, "Look at the ink. If it was old then the ink would not of smeared as bad." He shook some of the river water off the paper.

"What are you going to do, Spot?" Sprite asked.

"There's not anything that I can do. I can't write back," Spot replied. He shook his head and took a seat on the bunk bed.

"But you can't just forget about it," Blink said.

"Yeah, I can. She left and I moved on with my life."

Kevin looked over at the two younger newsies, Bua and Dandy. He motioned for them to leave and they complied obediently. When the door closed behind them Sprite went over to sit beside Spot. She softly took his hand and spoke kindly unto him. "It wasn't her choice to go." She studied him earnestly. "You mustn't forget."

The young Brooklyn leader straitened up suddenly, his blue-grey eyes narrowed mystically. "Red refused to forget and look what happened."

"You're nothing like Red," Sprite whispered.

___

An entire week passed and Anne Montgomery continued living with the Austrian professor. As dues for her room and board she insisted that she help him in his studies. It was a great relief to Ms. Clearwater, for that was one less task that she had to fulfill.

It seemed to turn out as more of a nuisance than help. Mr. Bordeaux dwelled on every little mistake that Anne made and some days he just got fed up. This was one of those days.

"If you can't do it right, then just don't do it at all!" he shouted.

"Well, if you would give me proper instructions then there wouldn't be a problem," Anne retorted.

"I guess that I give you too much credit. I'll just be sure and speak simpler to you in the future!"

Anne groaned outwardly and took her hands out of the pit of soil that she had watered.

Colm grinned satisfied, then turned to continue making water samples. There was a sudden "plop" as a circle of mud hit the target - the base of his back. Anne's smile widened as he inspected the damages.

"You'll pay for that," Mr. Bordeaux exclaimed. He turned the water hose on full blast and chased after her. Anne jumped up onto the watering table and rushed to dodge the blasts.

___

"What in heaven's name is going on up here?" Ms. Clearwater cried as she came into the greenhouse.

"What's it look like, Elise?" Colm shrugged indifferently.

"Good heavens, she's soaked!" Elise said. She quickly took off her apron and tied it around Anne's shoulders.

Anne grinned and began brushing the clops of dirt from her dress.

"Hurry and go change clothes," the woman said, "You too, Colm. I've put together a picnic lunch for you two to take down to the piers."

Mr. Bordeaux turned to leave, but Elise caught his sleeve. "Remember, you're supposed to be the mature one."

___

"Why do we have to go to the river?" Mr. Bordeaux asked as he climbed into the carriage. Anne took a seat opposite of him.

"Because the roof is now flooded and, besides, you need to get out sometimes," she replied.

Colm sighed and stuck his head out the coach window. "Driver!" he commanded.

The sun shone brilliantly on that brisk autumn day. Anne went down to the docks to lay out a quilt, while Colm spoke to the driver of the carriage. "Come back in about an hour," he said.

Anne smiled as Mr. Bordeaux took a seat next to her on the ground. She cocked her head slightly and glanced behind him to the row of old warehouses. There was the glow of a light turned on in the second floor bunkroom of the old "Bridge" Lodging House.

"So, you've been to New York before?" Colm asked her.

"Oh, yes, I lived here for a short while," Anne replied with a smile.

"Here?"

"Yes, in the Seaport area," she said.

"Really? That's very surprising. We might happen to know the same people." He grinned lightly, intrigued at the possibilities.

Anne shook her head. "No, probably not. The people that I know are not really type to exist in your league." Her mind suddenly went to her old friends: Sprite, Kid Blink, Red, and Spot.

"Ah.. but I'm not really considered to be a part of that league that you speak of either. I just go along with the social events to hold on to the inch of family loyalty that still remains in my blood," Mr. Bordeaux replied.

"I know what you mean," Anne smiled. "It was very easy for me to swing in with the people that I did. Like when I met up with you, I had found myself alone in this big city against my will. But then, now that I think about it - I believe that I am glad that I did what I did. It seems that I just happened to meet up with good people on both occasions."

After the picnic lunch, the carriage came back to pick them up. Mr. Bordeaux hurried to clean up the lunch and Anne went over to one of the old run-down buildings. The light that had been on earlier was turned off. Anne leaned in to look through a crack between two nailed up boards on a window. The lobby was pitch black besides the light that flooded in the opened back door.

"Anne, what are you doing? The carriage is waiting on us," Colm said. He tugged on her sleeve before she could round the corner.

"Tell them to wait," Anne pleaded, "I want to show you something." She fought to continue down the sidewalk.

"Can't we do it another day. I have work to do."

Anne groaned. "You always have work to do. Just come on." She took his arm and waved to the carriage master.